AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, April 28

AAP General News (Australia)
04-28-2010
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, April 28
Evening Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630


Climate Rudd (SYDNEY)

KEVIN RUDD says the federal government's planning to unveil the biggest renewable energy
program the country's ever seen.

The government shelved plans this week for its controversial carbon reduction pollution
scheme until at least 2013 .. after failing to pass its legislation in the Senate.

However the prime minister says his government remains committed to the scheme and
to reducing greenhouse gases .. and in the meantime it will turn its attention to renewable
energy.



Whaling Garrett (CANBERRA)

Australia won't support an international proposal to allow the resumption of limited
commercial whaling .. and is calling instead for a complete ban.

The International Whaling Commission advisory group has drawn up a new agreement ..

that'd allow countries including Japan to hunt whales locally .. but ban killing in IWC
sanctuaries .. including the Southern Ocean.

But Federal Environment Minister PETER GARRETT says that isn't good enough .. and the
proposal falls well short of what Australia could accept.

Mr GARRETT says Australia will take an alternative proposal to the commission .. calling
for a five-year complete phase-out of whaling in the Southern Ocean .. and an immediate
halt to scientific whaling permits and the hunting of endangered species.



Affair Carles (PERTH)

West Australian Greens MP ADELE CARLES has contradicted her former lover TROY BUSWELL
.. saying there was no misuse of parliamentary entitlements during their affair.

Mr BUSWELL resigned as WA's treasurer yesterday after admitting misusing entitlements
to use ministerial cars and hotels.

But Ms CARLES today said her liaisons with Mr BUSWELL in Canberra and Sydney last month
were fully funded by her .. and both had been entitled to accommodation in the WA town
of Albany as MPs.

She says she called Mr BUSWELL today to ask him why he said he'd misused entitlements
.. and he said he'd been advised to do so by his chief of staff.



Economy Swan (CANBERRA)

Treasurer WAYNE SWAN says there's no room for complacency .. despite underlying inflation
having moderated.

Consumer prices rose by 0.9 per cent in the March quarter .. lifting the headline inflation
rate to 2.9 per cent from 2.1 per cent.

But the Australian Bureau of Statistics says underlying measures rose by just 0.8 per
cent .. lowering the annual rate of underlying inflation to 3.05 per cent from 3.35 per
cent.



Flu Wrap (WELLINGTON/BRISBANE)

New Zealand children have suffered convulsions .. as officials scramble to gather information
following reports of similar reactions to the flu vaccination in Australia.

The Health Ministry says five children have reportedly suffered convulsions since Friday.

Australia's chief medical officer has already suspended seasonal flu vaccinations for
children under five .. following reports of convulsions and a two year old Queensland
girl was found dead in her cot on April 9 .. the day after she and her twin sister were
given the vaccine by their GP.

Meanwhile .. health officials say only 13 children under the age of five may have had
adverse reactions to the seasonal flu vaccine in Queensland .. less than previously thought.

Queensland Health received 41 notifications of under fives who've had adverse reactions
after receiving the vaccine .. but all but 13 have been put down to other causes.



US Zirus (KERRVILLE)

The parents of the young victims of convicted Australian pedophile SCOTT ZIRUS have
told a US court in harrowing detail of the pain they feel .. and the damage he's done
to their families.

He was sentenced to 40 years in jail in Texas today .. but it was the testimony of
the parents which caused heartache.

The mother of a six-year-old boy .. her hands trembling .. told of how excited her
son was to attend his first summer camp .. but returned home a different boy .. and is
undergoing therapy.

And a six-year-old .. once classified by his school as a gifted child .. was so damaged
by his encounter with ZIRUS that he is now haunted by nightmares and talks about dying.



Broadband NBN (SYDNEY)

The National Broadband Network's chief executive says Australia will miss out on vital
infrastructure investment if a coalition government scraps it.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott says the coalition will cut spending by 10 billion dollars
during its first term in office to reduce national debt and the 43 billion dollar NBN
is in its sights.

The government's also estimated 25 thousand potential jobs could be lost if the project
is scrapped.



Blood (SYDNEY)

Australia's Red Cross Blood Service has placed a two year moratorium on accepting blood
donations from people who've ever had chronic fatigue syndrome.

The service says the temporary halt will allow for more research into whether CFS has
a viral cause .. which could pose a new type of transmission risk to the blood supply.

Red Cross spokesman Dr TONY KELLER says the moratorium's a precautionary move based
on emerging research which suggests a link.



Briefly in other news ..



Quake WA (PERTH)

The West Australian government will provide millions of dollars to restore heritage-listed
buildings .. damaged by last week's earthquake in the mining city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.



Boat (CANBERRA)

The navy's intercepted a boat carrying 50 asylum seekers in waters off Australia's
northwest coast .. the 48th asylum seeker boat intercepted in Australian waters this year.



Safety Aust (BRISBANE)

A national memorial commemorating workers killed and injured on the job is expected
to be built in Canberra.



NZ Jackson (WELLINGTON)

Lord of the Rings director PETER JACKSON's been knighted in New Zealand .. as a Knight
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.



in Sport ..



AFL Wrap (ADELAIDE/SYDNEY)

Adelaide utility PATRICK DANGERFIELD has a fractured hand and will miss the next four
AFL matches.

A club spokesman says the 20-year-old had inconclusive x-rays yesterday before an MRI
scan later revealed the fracture.

But Brisbane Lions captain JONATHAN BROWN has declared himself a certain starter for
Saturday night's clash against Sydney at the SCG.

Both the Lions and Swans have made strong starts to the year .. with win-loss records of 4-1.



League Judiciary (SYDNEY)

Gold Coast forward ANTHONY LAFFRANCHI will be available for Saturday's NRL clash with
in-form Penrith after entering an early guilty plea to a high tackle charge.

The former Test forward was charged with a grade one careless high tackle on Manly's
MATT BALLIN in the Titans' 24-22 win at Brookvale Oval on Monday night.



Cycling Ellis (ADELAIDE)

Federal Sports Minister KATE ELLIS says improved training facilities for Australia's
elite cyclists could give them the edge over arch rivals Britain at the 2012 London Olympics.

World and Olympic champion ANNA MEARES has also hailed the improvements made to facilities
and equipment at the Adelaide Superdrome .. the home of the national track cycling team.

The minister says the improvements and new equipment are about giving cyclists every
chance of success at events like the London Olympics and the upcoming Commonwealth Games
in Delhi.



ENDS EVENING ROUND-UP

Broadcast Desk inquiries 24 hours: 02 9322 8714

AAP RTV crh/wf

KEYWORD: EVENING ROUND-UP

� 2010 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.